Alec N. Salt, Ph.D.

DEPARTMENT OF Otolaryngology
Keywords: ear, cochlea, endolymph, Meniere's disease, otolaryngology

Our research is directed toward how the inner ear fluids, endolymph and perilymph, are regulated. Inner ear fluid disorders contribute to deafness and balance problems in clinical conditions such as Meniere’s disease, perilymph fistula and sudden hearing loss. The goal is to establish how the fluids are maintained and how they can be manipulated for therapeutic purposes.

The fluid spaces of the ear are small and difficult to access without damage. In order to make physiological measurements, specialized techniques are required. We have developed a variety of methods to monitor the composition, volume and flow of cochlear fluids in vivo. In order to interpret experimental data quantitatively, mathematical models are used which take into account the complex geometry of the cochlear fluid spaces and the basic processes underlying solute movements, such as diffusion, flow and clearance. A graphical version of the cochlear fluid simulator recently has been made available on the web at http://oto.wustl.edu/cochlea/model.htm. Modeling of homeostasis of cochlear fluids requires accurate, quantitative anatomical descriptions of the inner ear. Toward this goal, we are performing fluid space measurements based on 3-D images of the inner ear obtained by magnetic resonance (MR) microscopy. The use of computer simulations allows processes investigated and quantified in experimental animals to be extrapolated to the situation in the human cochlea. The combination of various projects in our laboratory involving quantitative anatomical and physiological measurements and mathematical modeling provides the most detailed understanding of cochlear fluid homeostasis presently available.